Madrid - The militant separatist group ETA early Sunday warned the incoming Basque government to brace for attacks. In an ETA communique published in the Basque newspaper Gara on Sunday, the group designated the incoming prime minister Patxi Lopez and his government as the "priority target."

Earlier this month, a new parliament was constituted in Spain's Basque region that has the first conservative president taking power since the region was granted broad autonomy in 1979.

The choice of Arantz Quiroga as president breaks a long string of presidents from the Basque Nationalist Party (PNV) since 1979 and signals an effort to pursue closer integration with Spain.

The PNV seeks looser ties, if not independence, from Spain.

The region, which has often suffered from the violence of ETA, is now to get its first government clearly backing its integration with Spain. The government was formed after two mainstream Spanish parties, the socialists and conservatives, reached a deal earlier this week.

The PNV took the most votes in the elections, but together, the socialists and conservatives have a majority. That will allow socialist leader Patxi Lopez to take over as regional prime minister in late April or May.

ETA charges that Lopez has "no democratic legitimacy" and vowed to continue its armed struggle as long as Basque rights are denied.

ETA called the coalition a "government of fascism and denial of civil liberties."

The PNV was also sharply criticized in the ETA communique for opening the gate to a revival of Spanish nationalism by allowing state repressions to occur.

Spanish daily El Correo meanwhile Sunday reported that ETA had for several years been planning to down King Juan Carlos' airplane using a surface-to-air missile.

French security forces had gleaned information of the secret plan from ETA computer data, the newspaper said. The group planned to launch the missile from a nearby airport or a military base at an airplane or helicopter carrying the king.

The computer files were discovered in 2004 at a villa in France's Basque county that had for years served as an ETA "weapons factory."

Remnants of Russian surface-to-air missiles were also found, indicating that ETA operatives had conducted a test fire, according to El Correo.

The documents also reportedly point out that aside from the king, the Spain's head of government or members of government were also potential targets. (dpa)